Search Results for: the normal christian life

Posted: 17 Feb, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson

Romans 2:13b-15 It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their heart, for their own conscience and thoughts […]

Posted: 20 Jan, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson

John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. In 2004, a college student came up with the idea to steal a book of Audubon’s bird illustrations from his school library. It […]

Posted: 30 Dec, 2018 | Author: JM

How can you live your life with impact and multiply your efforts into the lives of others? Download

Posted: 25 Nov, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Hebrews 5:12-14 …Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the […]

Posted: 21 Oct, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19 ESV In our early 20s, a friend and I explored Spring Cave in northwestern Colorado. Within a […]

Posted: 14 Oct, 2018 | Author: Tom Schwieger

Do you ever feel out of place? Although we are still in the world, we don’t have to be of it. We don’t have to fit in and be just like everyone else. God has called us to a different lifestyle. Although that may make us feel out of place at times, the blessing is […]

Posted: 07 Oct, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. NIV11 You may have seen the famous poem “The Dash,” by Linda Ellis. It talks about how someday our tombstones will have two […]

Posted: 30 Sep, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

Genesis 3:8-9  Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Jesus invites us […]

Posted: 23 Sep, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Proverbs 23:19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path. NIV11 Once, when I was a kid, my family went to church at a drive-in theater. My dad pulled up, put the speaker on his partially rolled-down window, and we quietly sat through the service. We were on vacation […]

Posted: 26 Aug, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

1 Peter 4:1-2 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. NIV11 Sometimes suffering is […]

Posted: 26 Aug, 2018 | Author: Bruce Bradford

What is it that makes us happy? Money? Success at work? Being popular? Nice house? Nice car? Are those things really it? God wants us to know that there is more in life! We can find true and deep joy! Download

Posted: 24 Jun, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

The words that come out of our mouths have the potential to bring good to someone else’s life or the potential to bring harm.  Sometimes things are hard to say but we should say them.  In those situations, how can we speak the truth with love? Download Handout

Posted: 22 Apr, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

What you do makes a difference to God. You profoundly impact others. And the effect of your life has a rippling impact into the world. Download Handout: With blanks / Without blanks

Posted: 22 Apr, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

Just as El Paso brings blinding dust storms, we all walk through trials and “spiritual storms” in our lives.  How can we stay anchored to God through those times? Download Handout

Posted: 28 Jan, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Jesus’ heart is that all the world would hear His message of hope and grace. Our call is to spread this message. We don’t need to feel guilty about how we’ve failed at this in the past, but it would be good to think about how we can take steps down this path so that […]

Posted: 14 Jan, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

We are all good about praying when we are desperate. Can we bring that desperation back into everyday life? When we don’t know what to do, God is there for us! Download Handout: With blanks / Without blanks For further study: Prayer reference sheet  

Posted: 31 Dec, 2017 | Author: Mike Kimball

What is the goal? Answering this question is not always easy, but we need to be able to ask and answer that question as it helps us focus on the things that truly matter in life. Download

Posted: 26 Nov, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

What does it look like to follow Jesus? In this message, Steve uses the story of Ruth to illustrate the devotion of a follower of Jesus. Ruth's heart was to follow Naomi into a completely new life. When we become Christians, we do the same. Baptism is simply our first step at following Jesus lead […]

Posted: 19 Nov, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

At some point, we realize we cannot be the person we should be, could be, or want to be.  So, how can we truly change? How can we go down a different path? How can become fit for Heaven or a life with God?  The answer is to repent and believe.  This message looks at […]

Posted: 15 Oct, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

Christians are not just messengers of God’s plan of mercy and forgiveness, but we are witnesses of how He has worked in our lives! Each of us has a story of how God saved, healed, or met us in some critical life event. In fact, if we stop to think about it, we likely have […]

Posted: 03 Sep, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

We all find plenty to complain about, whether it is genuine hardships like sickness, suffering, and death, or it is the little stuff like having to eat the same thing for dinner that we had for lunch. As we see in the example of the Israelites (Numbers 11:1-6), complaining leads to misery, even in times […]

Posted: 27 Aug, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

Dove shares about how he has felt a tendency in his own life to isolate himself or become isolated from others.  Yet, the hope of Christ is that his family (his church) will relentlessly fight these tendencies and pursue unity.  We each have a role in building up the family of God and staying united […]

Posted: 23 Jul, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

As we saw with the Pharisees (message 2 weeks ago), we cannot be made righteous by cleaning ourselves up but instead by humbly receiving Christ and His life in us.  With Christ in our lives we are new, we are no longer sinners but blameless, pure children of God.  This change is what Jesus did […]

Posted: 09 Jul, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

When Jesus walked this Earth he consistently showed love and grace and acceptance.  Yet His love is much deeper than just trying to make people feel good.  In fact, He spoke surprisingly harsh words to a certain group of people, the Pharisees.  Why?  At least in part it was because the Pharisees thought they could […]

Posted: 02 Jul, 2017 | Author: Bruce Bradford

Do you ever feel like you’ve made too many mistakes for Jesus to accept you? In Jesus’ interaction with Levi (Matthew), we see that there is love, forgiveness, and acceptance in Jesus, even for the really broken people. You past doesn’t matter to Jesus. You don’t have to fix your life before you follow. He […]

Posted: 28 May, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

There is something in us that makes us want to share with others the good things we have found.  Whether it is a great movie, a sunset, a revolutionary product, a new love, or something else we find exciting, we have a desire to pass it on.  How much more, despite hesitation or cultural opposition, […]

Posted: 23 Apr, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

In the account of the paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus, we learn that Jesus wants us to come to Him for forgiveness—spiritual healing! This is one of the amazing ways we experience life from God. When we ask for and receive forgiveness, we are no longer defined by our loserness! We are freed […]

Posted: 26 Mar, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

Dove shares his conviction that the greatest aspiration in all of life is to know God.  God has sent his Son into the world to pay a price for us so that we can be with God.  Anyone who desires to come to God is welcomed into His family, through Christ.  In this relationship with […]

Posted: 12 Mar, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

There are two realms: the seen and the unseen. The natural and the supernatural. Belief in the unseen world corrects our overemphasis on the seen world. To experience true and lasting life, our faith must be anchored in the unseen. 2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on […]

Posted: 26 Feb, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

We should never be surprised when we find ourselves discouraged or even despondent. After all, we live in terrible times. Yet God offers hope in the midst of our trials. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” We can find life from God even […]